


France x Reader Tinatangi

by Sweet_garlic



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Human Names Used, Multi, Reader-Insert, deviantART
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-19
Updated: 2015-08-19
Packaged: 2018-04-15 13:19:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4608240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sweet_garlic/pseuds/Sweet_garlic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You don't want a soulmate, but the watch on your wrist thinks otherwise. Can you create your own fate and find your own soul mate, or will the watch on your wrist count down to your inevitable meeting with the man of your dreams?</p>
            </blockquote>





	France x Reader Tinatangi

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MeSoClumsy](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=MeSoClumsy).
  * Inspired by [Hetalia x reader tinatangi countdown (intro)](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/137823) by MeSoClumsy. 



> The intro to this story was written by MeSoClumsy on deviantart and can be found here: http://mesoclumsy.deviantart.com/art/Hetalia-x-Reader-tinatangi-countdown-intro-553817223. I was invited to write the story for France, and there are links to other countries in the description of the introduction. I also used Google Translate for some words (translations at the bottom), so correct me if I get anything wrong.

You ran down the icy sidewalk, barreling into pedestrians and office workers alike, exclamations of "Watch where you're going!" and "Slow down!" echoing behind you. "Sorry! Excuse me! I need to get through!" you hastily apologized as you darted through crowds and between couples huddling together to stay warm in the chilled winter air. You had to get to work as soon as possible. Your usual walk to your job was uneventful, but this morning you had slept through your alarm and you'd be late if you didn't hurry. Even a few minutes of delay would be problematic, as you needed to ask your boss for a day off.

More specifically, you wanted the day after tomorrow off.

You would've asked her sooner if you had noticed your timer, but you had been ignoring the little wristwatch, keeping it tucked in your sock drawer since the time you had moved into the tiny apartment you called home. You broke up with your boyfriend on your first night in the apartment and decided that you hated the little watch that dictated your love life. The whole thing was your own fault, really. Everyone knew that relationships prior to "the moment" were just preparation for your soul mate. They didn't mean anything. This one, though - it was special. He was special. You loved him with all your heart, and it didn't matter if he didn't feel the exact same way about you. He cared about you, at least he acted like did. Then he met him, his soul mate, the boy of his dreams. The night that the two of you were supposed to snuggle deep down into the sheets of your new bed in your new room in your new apartment, he called you with a flurry of excited, joyful words. When you discovered what had happened, you congratulated him and tried to hide your sadness with happy laughter. When you asked if you could meet him, his expressions of joy changed. His voice became more guarded. "_______," he had said, "I... I don't... I just don't... I think it's a bad idea, you know? I'm with my soulmate now. It's a totally new chapter in my life - no, it's a new book! It's not just Alfred, it's Alfred and Ivan now! My life was so empty, I don't want to bring up memories of ever being without him... You wouldn't understand. Let's just cut ties, okay?"

You didn't understand. All that you understood was that you were angry. Angry that he had moved on, angry that if he didn't have that watch he never would've known. You were suddenly seized with a hatred for your own watch. You tore it off your wrist and threw it in the back of your new sock drawer. You didn't want it. You didn't need it. You could survive without a soul mate. You never wanted to know who it was.

Until now.

It was an accident, checking the watch. You never meant to do it. You were digging for a warm pair of socks to wear on an especially chilly March day when it just fell out onto the floor. There was a pause, a moment of complete silence. You remembered your pledge to never know your soulmate, but there was such an aching desire burning in your chest. It was the desire to know, to be confident in love and in life, to be able to maybe find the person that completed your life in such a way that you'd wish that you had never lived without them. No, you couldn't know - oh but you could - but you pledged - it's right there, you could peek and put it back!

Curiosity and the aching desire won over your hard heart and you bent to pick up the wristwatch. You expected it to already have reached 0000d 00h 00m 00s, or to be years away, but instead the glossy numbers nearly knocked you off your feet.

0002d 06h 12m 04s. 03s. 02s. 01s.

The glossy numbers slowly counted down. Two days. Two days until you met the person who would change your life and twist it upside down, making it ten times - one hundred times - one thousand times better than it was before. You saw your hand shaking as you held the watch and slowly realized that your whole body was quivering in a muddled confusion of fear and excitement. Slowly, you sat down on the bed and glanced at the clock on your nightstand. 7:35 AM. You did the math in your head. Two days from now - 6 hours - eleven minutes, now - you could barely think. You would meet him on a Wednesday at 1:46 PM. You put your face in your hands. Wednesday. You always hated Wednesdays. Why a Wednesday? Couldn't it at least be on a good day - like Friday? No, it had to be Wednesday -

Suddenly, your face shot up and you looked at the clock again. 7:35 AM. You were going to be late for work.

You got dressed and shot out the door in record time, even skipping breakfast in favor of running down the street as fast as your feet would carry you. You forgot your jacket so had to run through the cold, but you ignored it and kept moving. If you were going to meet your soulmate, you certainly weren't going to do it at work. You needed to plead with your boss for a day off, and that meant getting to work on time and being on your best behavior.

You rushed into the office where you worked answering complaint calls from customers. You were almost ten minutes late by the time you checked in. You rushed to your desk, noticing your boss walking towards you. Sitting down you began to hurriedly straighten everything on your small desk. A hand gently tapped your shoulder and you turned around to see your boss behind you. "Ah- hello Ms. Hedervary," you greeted her politely.

"Good morning, ________. Running a bit late today, eh?" she chuckled as you blushed. "Um... yeah, slept through my alarm. I was wondering if I could speak to you about something?" you asked tentatively. Elizaveta Hedervary smiled. "Anything you'd like to say, you can say right here!" she told you. Your blush increased and you stuttered out, "Well, it's just... this." You pointed to the watch on your wrist. Ms. Hedervary read the glossy numbers and gasped. "Oh, you're going to meet your soul mate! How exciting! I'm so happy for you!" your boss exclaimed with an overjoyed smile. "Now, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?" she asked. You blinked. "Well... I mean, I was wondering if I could have the day off? So I could meet him?" Now it was Ms. Hedervary's turn to blink. "The day off? What do you mean?" she asked, confused. "Well, I mean, I'm not going to meet him at work!" you exclaimed, sounding more whiny than you had intended. "Oh, _______, whether or not you have work, you'll meet him!" she chuckled, waving a hand. "That's how the watches work, after all! No matter what you do, you'll meet your soulmate. And plus," she winked, "we've got a new employee coming in on Wednesday. Maybe he's the one, we won't know until time runs out!" Your energetic boss power-walked away.

You stared after her. A new employee, coming on Wednesday? It couldn't be him, the watch said that you would meet your soulmate in the afternoon. You couldn't help hoping, though... an office romance. It was the ideal way to have a soulmate - be able to see them every day, having the usually long hours of work fly by in a whirlwind of secret glances and blushing smiles.

The phone by your desk rang and you started. You hadn't realized that you were staring into space, caught up in your dreams of romance and lovers. You caught your breath and answered the phone. "Hello, ________ ________ speaking, how may I help you?" you said, chanting the phrase that was drilled into your head after months of repetition while inside, you were still anxiously waiting for your soul mate.

~~~~~~~~~~~2 DAYS LATER~~~~~~~~~~~~

The weather had stayed chilly, probably becoming even colder since the day you rediscovered your watch. Normally, you would've wanted to stay in bed, reluctantly rolling out from under the warm blankets only after the third time your alarm clock went off. Not today, though. Today was a day to get out of bed. Today was different. Today was better.

Today was The Day, the day you would meet your soul mate and your life would be turned upside down. You told yourself that it didn't matter, that you didn't care, but you couldn't help it. It didn't mean anything that you had spent all last night picking an outfit, or that your skin was especially clean, or that you had purposefully woken up early to do your hair and makeup as well as you could. All of that was because you felt like you wanted to look nice for yourself, your alleged 'soul mate' meant nothing to you. You straightened your scarf and checked your hair for any fly-aways again, even though you knew every part of your image was immaculate.

You walked to work confidently in your warm and stylish coat, turning heads everywhere you went. A few guys whistled but you chose to ignore them, striding into your building with the knowledge that you looked like a goddess. When you sat down after removing your layers, your boss appeared behind you. "So, ________," she started, "you look rather nice today." You smiled at her. "Oh, yeah, I just felt like getting dolled up," you responded. Ms. Hedervary chuckled and nodded her head. "Of course you did. Oh, and by the way, it seems that the new employee is going to be a bit late today. Something came up," she informed you. You looked up at her, shocked. "He... is?" you asked. "Yeah, says he's not going to be able to get here until the afternoon."

This news shocked you. Depending on how late he got here, he could be... you shook your head, ridding yourself of the unwanted thoughts. It didn't matter if he was your soul mate. You didn't care, after all. Who your soulmate was didn't matter to you at all. You couldn't help but wonder, though. What was he like? What did he look like? Was he handsome? Most likely. He was probably really sweet, too, the kind of person to kiss your forehead at night before you dozed off, and he would always remember to wake you up in the morning the exact same way. You would walk to work hand in hand, making small talk with him chuckling at your jokes...

"Good grief, ________, I might as well have given the day off you're so unfocused," your boss muttered behind you. "Get back to work!" she told you, and you blushed furiously, picking up the phone to answer another call while trying not to daydream about the man you would be meeting that afternoon.

Later, at around 1:20, you were standing by the printer to pick up some documents that you needed. You were chatting with your coworker Antonio, a cheery Spanish man who had met his soulmate when he was just a teenager. "So, chica (1)! I heard someone was going to meet their soulmate this afternoon!" he chuckled and winked at you. Your face grew red and you muttered to yourself, "Did the word really get around that fast?" Antonio laughed again. "Why are you acting so embarrassed? It's so great that your life is finally going to be complete!" he cheered. You sighed at his enthusiasm and told him, "I don't really care about it. The stupid watch is just a hassle." Antonio gasped, "You don't care?! ________, it's not about the watch! It's about the person! My Lovi never looked at his watch, but we're still a couple! Pay more attention to who you're meeting instead of when you're meeting them. It'll all work out, trust me." He winked and walked back to his desk. You sighed, looking at the documents, their pages still warm. The person was more important, so then why did it feel like the watch was controlling your every thought?

Suddenly, Antonio burst back into the printing room. "Chica!" he practically yelled. You looked up, shocked by his entrance. "What?!" you responded back with the same volume. "The new worker! He's blonde - I mean he's here!" he shouted. You gasped, your hand flying to your pocket where you had been keeping your watch. Crap! It was back at your desk, sitting in one of the drawers. You groaned inwardly, but then perked back up, straightening your jacket. "Do I look okay?" you asked, brushing at your hair and dusting invisible pieces of lint off of your neat pants. Antonio didn't even stop to study your appearance, choosing instead to smile at you warmly. "You look bonito (2). Don't worry about it, just go say hi," he told you reassuringly.

After doing a run-over of your appearance one more time for good measure, you took a deep breath and walked out confidently. Then you saw him.

He was standing in the middle of a crowd greeting everyone politely. His suit hung neatly off of his figure while his polished shoes shone in the sunlight streaming through the office windows. What caught your eye most, though, was his hair. It was a beautiful bronze-gold color, like ripened wheat in the sunset. You felt yourself suddenly get shy at the sight of this beautiful man. He was the one who was your soulmate? How could you ever be loved by someone so handsome? So perfect?

You steeled yourself internally and walked up to the man. "Hi, you must be the new employee!" you said cheerfully. "I'm _______, I work in customer service." The handsome man turned his green eyes on you. "Hello, _______, my name is Arthur Kirkland. It seems we'll be working in customer service together!" he told you. You beamed at his voice. He had a British accent, prim and proper. He smiled back warmly. "I think you and I will get along just fine," he said in a friendly tone. "I'm sure we will," you responded in turn. "If you'll excuse me, I have to go get something from my desk," you excused yourself and strode to your desk, blushing and smiling like a schoolgirl.

Sitting in your swivel chair, you opened all of your drawers until you found the little wristwatch. You pulled it out reverently and held it like with the care of a mother and her child. Slowly, you turned it over and looked at the glowing numbers on the face...

Your world froze. The clock face read, "0000h 00d 14m 42s".

It seemed as if everything shattered around you. The background noise of the office faded away to be replaced with the sound of blood rushing through your ears. The corners of your vision seemed to grow dark and everything centered around the little wristwatch. Your mouth became dry and your hands and feet went numb. It felt like everything was over. Why couldn't he be the one? Why couldn't he be your soul mate? Why not? He was perfect, you didn't want anyone else! No one! No one! No one!

You wanted to cry, but you couldn't. You felt a hand on your shoulder. The world kicked back into motion as you heard a British accent. "_______?" Arthur asked. "Are you alright?" You looked up into his forest green eyes and put on a fake smile, hiding the watch in your hands. "I'm fine, just tired. You know the feeling, yeah? I think I'm going to run over to the coffee shop and get a cup of pick-me-up," you told him, feigning happiness. The worry in his eyes still remained. "Are you sure? Do you want me to come with you?" he asked. You looked down momentarily, biting your lip. As tempting as his offer sounded, you couldn't accept it, not when you knew that he would never be your soulmate.

You shook your head. "No thanks, I'm good. I can bring you something if you'd like, though?" you asked politely. "Oh, I'm perfectly alright, thank you," he denied your offer and moved towards his desk. He stopped and turned around. "_______," he started, "are you sure you're alright?" You looked down at the watch in your hands, then back up at him. The caring look in his eyes was apparent, and he seemed to be ready to embrace you, ready to cheer you up.

He wouldn't, though. Nothing would.

"I'm fine," you told him, and walked out of the building quickly. A few people noticed your hurried stride and furrowed brows, and were wondering what had happened to the confident woman that had walked in that morning, but didn't think much of it. Bad days happened, and there wasn't much to be done about them.

Your walk to the coffee shop passed in a blur of people and cloudy skies. You kept yourself isolated from the outside world, keeping your arms crossed and your head down. Though you didn't notice it, your eyes were dull and your shoulders were hunched, your body radiating such hopeless melancholy that the other people on the sidewalk made sure to avoid you. It was as if all of the cold in the air radiated from your vacant eyes that were devoid of warmth and life.

You only looked up when you stepped into the warm coffee shop. Your friend Feliciano recommended it to you, and you could see why. It was very quaint and welcoming, the rich smell of coffee mixing with the sweeter scent of freshly baked pastries. There was a murmur of quiet conversation and a tiny bell tinkled when you opened the door. People in long shirts and sweaters sat at tables together, their heavier apparel slung over the backs of their chairs as they cupped their warm drinks in their hands. Your heart stung as you saw a couple sitting together, their watches full of zeros.

You turned towards the line of people at the cash register and pondered over what you would get. A hot chocolate would be good, you decided - you would get warm and cheered up by the sweet drink.

When you got to the front of the line, you were greeted by a man who had a curl on the back of his hand and a cat twining in between his feet. "What would you like?" he asked in a quiet Greek accent. "Just a hot chocolate," you answered him. The man nodded and turned around, addressing a tanned barista. 'Weird,' you thought when you noticed the barista's white mask. What you didn't notice was that one of the baristas was watching you.

You paid for your drink, then took it to a table in the corner by the window. You leaned your head against the cool glass, watching your breath fog up the clear surface. The mug of the hot chocolate kept your hands warm, but you still felt cold inside. Oh, what you would give to have Arthur's hands in yours! Then maybe you would feel better... but you wouldn't, because he could never be yours. That was the thought your mind kept coming back to. He can never be yours, he can never be yours, he can never be yours. You wanted to cry, but you instead brought the hot mug to your lips. The drink burnt your tongue, but you bit your lip and endured it.

"Excusez moi, mademoiselle (3)?" you heard a voice above you. You looked up to see a man standing by your table, a barista by the look of it. "Yes?" you replied. "Ah, do you mind if I sit with you for a moment?" he asked you politely. French. You only shrugged your shoulders. At this point, you could care less what anyone did. The barista pulled out a chair and sat across from you, his sapphire blue eyes boring into yours. You stared back, weirded out by the intensity of his gaze. "What do you want...?" you asked him, starting to wonder if it was a good idea to let him sit with you. His eyes never wavered. "I don't have to be good at reading people to see that you're sad. I was wondering what was wrong?" he said in a quiet voice. You blinked. Until now, you hadn't realized how obvious your depression was. You thought about denying his claim, but something made you stop. You looked down at your drink sadly and said, "I thought someone was my soulmate, but then they weren't, and-" you started to choke up, but composed yourself, "-and I want them to be. But they're not." You looked up with sadness in your eyes, expecting to see pity in his. There was no pity there at all.

There was anger.

"Why isn't he your soul mate?" the barista asked, "Who says that he isn't?" You blinked. "Well- my- my watch wasn't yet at-" you started, but he interrupted you. "Your watch? You mean the thing that says when you meet your soul mate? It said he wasn't your soul mate?" You replied quietly, "Well, yes-" "Why do you have to listen to your watch? If you think that man is your soul mate, then he should be! You should at least try to go out with him before abandoning him for a stupid watch's opinion! Dieu (4)!" he shouted, silencing the rest of the cafe.

The quiet Greek at the cash register stepped forward. "Calm down, Francis," the man said. The Frenchman shouted back, but you tuned him out. What he had just told you about choosing your own soul mate was the same mindset that you had kept for years - the idea that your fate and your soul mate was yours to choose. What you hadn't realized, though, was that the idea of finding love had distracted you so much that you had been sucked into the cycle that enraptured so many people. Now that you knew what had happened, you refused to continue it.

The Greek and the Frenchman continued to argue until you spoke up. "Wait," you said, their heads turning towards you. You looked up at the Frenchman. "Francis, was it? Come sit down. I want to hear everything you have to say." Francis blinked and turned towards you. He looked at the blazing determination in your eyes and sat down in the chair across from you. "Tell me everything," you ordered.

Francis leaned back in the chair. "Well, you see, I am a believer in amour (5). I believe that when two people meet, they can fall head over heels in love. But," he held a finger up, "I also believe in love being a choice. With these watches, though, the choice is gone. Too often I've seen the happiest couples ripped apart because one found their 'soul mate'. While one is joyful, the other is lost and alone, depressed until they find their own 'soul mate'. The watches are controlling our love and keeping us from relationships that could make our lives so much better. That's why I mostly ignore mine." You stared at the lean barista, his blue eyes watching yours. "I used to think that way, too," you said, "until I accidentally saw the watch. I was so happy that I got caught up in the moment. If it wasn't for the watch, I never would've gone through all of this." You gestured around with your hands to indicate 'this'. "I wish my watch never even existed in the first place," you finished. Francis nodded and smiled.

"Well, mon cherie (6), I must say that the fact you were pulled into such affairs is unfortunate for you. For me, however, they have led me to meet one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen. Now that we have agreed to create our own love, may I ask you to join me for dinner tonight?" he asked. You blushed. That was unexpected. Who would've thought someone who had just expressed such anger could be so... smooth? "I'd love to go to dinner with you," you told him. 

Francis smiled, showing off his beautiful teeth. He also had a goatee. You hadn't noticed it earlier because it wasn't very thick, but it dusted his chin in just a way that made him infinitely more handsome. His blue eyes sparkled and his blonde hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail, with long locks curling over his ears. You caught yourself staring and blushed, turning your attention to your cooling cup of hot chocolate. Francis chuckled and stood up. "I'm afraid I have to go back to work, but I look forward to seeing you later," he told you. You nodded up at him and he took your hand gently in his, kissing your fingertips softly before going back behind the counter. Blushing, you sipped your chocolate again.

You decided that Francis would be a better soul mate than Arthur ever could be.

~~~~~~~~~~~EPILOGUE~~~~~~~~~~~~

You and Francis had been dating for a only a week, but you already discovered how much you had in common. He had taught you how to cook one night, sharing his favorite past time with you. He had agreed to let you teach him your favorite hobby tomorrow, which you were certainly looking forward to. The two of you didn't even need to be doing anything to enjoy each other's company. You could talk for hours if you had the time, and you knew he would be content just watching you. He thought you were beautiful, and never wasted an opportunity to tell you that. Tonight was no different.

"You look beautiful," he said, looking up at your face. He was lying back on the couch, his head resting in your lap while you ran your fingers through his blonde hair. "You tell me that all the time," you said. Francis grinned and chuckled, "I know. It's because it's true." You smiled at him, but your expression soon turned serious. "Do you have your watch?" you asked. Francis blinked, and he asked confusedly, "My watch...?" He sat up and swiveled around to face you. "Mon cherie, why? Why is it important? I thought we agreed!" he said, taking your hands in his, "Aren't I enough?" You nodded, biting your lip, and pulled out your own watch, making his eyes narrow. "________..." he said, his expression darkening. "Francis, please, just look at it!" you begged. You were almost certain you were right, but you needed confirmation. Francis lowered his head in defeat and reached into his back pocket. "I don't know why I'm listening to you," he muttered bitterly, pulling out the silver watch, "I can't do this again, I'll just regre-" He paused and his eyes widened at the timer in his hands. "Mon Dieu (7)," he whispered as you showed him your own watch. He looked at your watch and back at his. "Mon Dieu! Mon Dieu!" He jumped up and showed you his timer. You dropped your watches and embraced, happy tears in your eyes.

On the floor, the two watches lay next to each other, their faces reading zeroes all across.

1 - girl (Spanish)  
2 - beautiful (Spanish)  
3 - Excuse me, miss (French)  
4 - God! (French)  
5 - love (French)  
6 - my dear (French)  
7 - My God! (French)


End file.
